Patent GB-1223642-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to teaching machine systems
Inventor: BITZER DONALD L
IPC: G09B5/12
Filed: 1968-06-10
Abstract: 1,223,642. Teaching machines. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION. 10 June, 1968, No. 27518/68. Heading G5G. A multi-student teaching machine provides for each of the students a video display device and means for selecting material to be displayed. There is a central control unit which generates a sequence of "address" signals each of which corresponds to one of the student stations, and whenever a student station thus addressed has registered a demand for fresh teaching material the control unit operates to transmit the required material to that station's display device. The students can thus all follow different personally selected teaching programmes. Fig. 2 shows above the broken line the principal features of the control unit and below the broken line those of the apparatus at one of the student stations. When a student depresses a key in his key set 18 be generates two signals, one of which identifies his station and the other the material required. All such signals are fed on a common line to the control units input element 30, which in turn feeds them to the programmer 34. Associated with the programmer is a multi-stage flip-flop circuit 89, Fig. 7 (not shown), which repetitively generates a sequence of binary-coded signals corresponding to each student station in turn. When a coincidence is registered between one of these signals and an incoming station address signal, this station address code plus the materialrequired identifying code are sent to a computer which controls the sending of an appropriate output signal to the control units output element 32. The output signals are sent to all student stations, but only the station whose address is specified in the signal will respond by displaying the material. The operating times of the various switching means are of the order of tens of micro seconds, so that each student's request can be dealt with in a matter of milliseconds. As Fig. 2 shows, the video display unit 20 may receive its material either in the form of a representation of a slide from a slide store 22 of the control unit or in the form of alpha-numeric characters written on the display unit under the control of an element 26 of the control unit. Figs. 10 and 13 (not shown) respectively depict the means by which these two types of display are controlled. In the slide-display case analogue information (the slides) is converted by photocell means to digital signals which are transmitted to the student's display means and there converted into means for controlling the operation of a C.R.T. which displays a reproduction of the slide. In the "character-write" case, the computer stores a binary-code representation of each of a plurality of points on the character and this binary coding is converted into an analogue signal by the control unit's element 26, so that the student station will receive signals providing time-variable X-Y co-ordinates of the character to be written and respond by tracing them out on the C.R.T. screen. The Specification distinguishes two forms of teaching logic, viz. tutorial logic and inquiry logic, and includes block diagrams, Figs. 3 and 6 (not shown), illustrating the principles of each. The control unit is capable of operating in accordance with either of these logics. When using the tutorial logic, a student can follow (at a rate selected by himself) a sequence of receive information, answer questions on it and receive further information only in a predetermined order, but with provision for the student to select e.g. a sub-routine for further explanation or a re-presentation of material previously displayed. When using inquiry logic, the student selects a problem to be solved and can seek from the control unit such information as he requires at each step in his personally controlled progress through the working-out of the problem. Other features mentioned are the possible provision for audible display and/or dispensing rewards to the students. It is also possible for a teacher to use one of the student stations as a means to alter the computer programme or to convey a particular display of information to any or all of the students.